Life Fulfilled Podcast — Where leadership, self awareness and workplace performance actually connect.

Joe White was drafted by two Major League Baseball teams, the Cincinnati Reds and the Seattle Mariners, and signed with the Mariners to chase his lifelong dream of pitching professionally. Then he woke up from shoulder surgery to hear his surgeon say he couldn't play anymore, and that dream was over. Years later, as a teacher and coach, he lost his sense of purpose a second time, this time to a contract fight he couldn't win. Both times, he found his way back the same way. Now a Vistage Chair, Joe makes a case that surprises most leaders: finding a purpose greater than yourself takes about a minute. Living in it, especially when the pressure is on, is the real work. In this episode, he shares the simple visual he uses to help leaders see what's pulling them off course and protect what matters most.Who This Is ForLeaders who feel pressure pulling them away from the people side of their jobCEOs and business owners who treat people growth and business growth as separate prioritiesAnyone who's lost a role or identity they built their life around and is working to find their footing againManagers who coach and practice well but hesitate to truly challenge their peopleConsultants and service providers who want deeper, more trusted client relationshipsFive Key TakeawaysFinding your purpose is fast. Living in it is the work. When Joe asks people to write their purpose inside a heart, one prompt (your purpose is greater than yourself) gets most of them writing within 30 seconds to a minute. Staying in that purpose day after day is the real challenge.Identify the arrows coming at your purpose. Joe has leaders draw and label the arrows of daily noise that try to knock them out of their purpose, then surround the heart with a thick layer of memory foam so those arrows stick without getting through. Many of them won't matter a week or two later anyway.Pressure can turn a people leader into a data leader. After winning a state championship, Joe got so focused on winning the next one that coaching became miserable for him and his players. Things changed only when he went back to leading people. As he puts it, the people give you the numbers.When your people learn, grow, and progress, your business does too. Joe calls it LGP. Hire learners (ask what leadership book or podcast they've been reading or listening to), and consider replacing the performance review with a growth review.Don't skip the challenge. Joe's CPC model asks leaders to coach it, practice it, and challenge it. Most leaders skip the last step because it means letting go of the outcome and allowing people to struggle before they succeed.Connect with Joe White, Vistage ChairLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joewhite97Website and Book: coachjoewhiteconsulting.comInstagram: instagram.com/coachjoewhite97consultingX (Twitter): x.com/coachwhitey97People Progressing Podcast: Apple PodcastsEmail: [email protected]: 303-590-5940 Connect With Bernie BorgesWebsite: fulfilledatworkacademy.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernieborgesInstagram: instagram.com/bernieborgesTikTok: tiktok.com/@bernieborgesStandard ResourcesDownload The Human Dividend White Paper: A Leader's Guide to Human-Led AI TransformationLearn more about the Human Dividend AI AssessmentSubscribe to the Weekly Fulfill newsletterWatch this episode (and all episodes) on YouTubeBook Bernie Borges as a speaker at your next eventMusic AttributionOld BossaTwin MusicomSuno Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you've followed Bernie Borges in 2026, you've heard him talk about the Human Dividend™ and what it takes to lead a human-led AI transformation. Lately, you've also heard him talk about selling. Has he changed direction? He hasn't. In this solo episode, Bernie connects the dots. Whether you're leading an AI transformation, working to improve your culture, or trying to win more business, the same three principles decide how it goes: leading self, leading others, and leading through change. Different situations. Same road.Who This Is ForLeaders guiding a team through AI adoption who are running into hesitation, silence, or slow uptakeExecutives and managers working to strengthen culture and engagement on their teamsBusiness owners, consultants, and coaches who want to win more business without straining client relationshipsAnyone who regularly presents ideas or proposals that need a yesListeners who've followed the Human Dividend™ and The Self-Aware Seller and want to see how they fit togetherFive Key TakeawaysThese three principles are a foundation, not a program. Nobody becomes an engineer, doctor, lawyer, or salesperson without learning to read. Reading isn't the profession, it's the foundation every profession stands on. Leading self, leading others, and leading through change work the same way. They aren't limited to one use case, they're the foundation under AI transformation, culture work, and selling alike.Leading self starts with an honest look in the mirror. Organizational psychologist Dr. Tasha Eurich's research, published in Harvard Business Review, found that about 95% of people believe they're self-aware, but only 10 to 15% actually are. Because your brain builds pathways from what you repeatedly feed it, you're never neutral when you walk into a meeting or a sales call. The practice: before your next conversation, take 60 seconds and ask, "What am I carrying into this conversation?" Don't try to fix it. Just know what it is.Leading others is about influence, not authority. You don't need a title to lead. You influence your team, peers, clients, and family every day. A big part of leading others is specific, timely recognition of the person and the work behind the result, including the invisible work that made the result possible. In selling, that recognition builds trust, and Bernie cites Columbia Business School research showing buyers in high-trust relationships were roughly half as price-sensitive as buyers in low-trust relationships. Recognition starts with listening, so reflect a problem back ("Did I get that right?") before you recommend a solution.Leading through change comes down to four moves. Reduce fear, create clarity, preserve meaning, and build adaptability. When a team goes quiet after an AI announcement, that silence usually isn't agreement, it's fear. When a client goes quiet mid-deal, they're often protecting themselves, since research from Forrester points out that the reward of a good B2B decision goes to the company while the risk lands on the buyer personally. One question lowers that risk: "What would you need to feel confident taking this to your team?" Not every situation calls for all four moves. You decide which ones fit.Self-awareness is the thread, and one question puts it to work. You can't lead yourself, lead others, or lead anyone through change without self-awareness. Before your next meeting, one-on-one, or sales call, ask yourself: "Does my influence make things heavier for the people around me, or does it make things stronger?" Every interaction answers that question, whether you're asking it on purpose or not.Episode ResourcesRegister for the free Self-Aware Seller webinar (60 minutes on Zoom, rolling schedule, replay available to all registrants): fulfilledatworkacademy.com/selfawaresellerEpisode 309: You Think You’re Self Aware. Your Clients May Disagree https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/podcast/ep-309-you-think-youre-self-aware-your-clients-may-disagree/  Episode 240: Life Fulfilled. The New Era. An explanation of the five pillars of the Fulfillment-Centric Leadership™ Framework: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/podcast/life-fulfilled-the-new-era/ Connect With Bernie BorgesWebsite: fulfilledatworkacademy.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernieborgesInstagram: instagram.com/bernieborgesTikTok: tiktok.com/@bernieborgesOther ResourcesDownload The Human Dividend White Paper: A Leader's Guide to Human-Led AI TransformationSubscribe to the Weekly Fulfill newsletterBook Bernie Borges as a speaker at your next eventYouTube: Watch this episode (and all episodes) on YouTubeMusic AttributionOld BossaTwin MusicomSuno Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Who This Is ForLeaders who've been told they're "too direct" or "too intense" and aren't sure what to do with that feedbackProfessionals stepping into a role, a city, or a challenge they've never faced beforeAnyone who learned self-reliance early and wants to understand how it shapes the way they leadParents and grandparents curious about the lasting impact of lessons kids don't understand yetLeaders later in their careers who are rethinking where their time and energy should goFive Key TakeawaysSome of the most important lessons don't come with an explanation. Jackie's grandmother never told her why she was the one speaking in church or sitting silently through storms. As a kid, Jackie felt singled out. Only as an adult, looking back, did she realize her grandmother had been planting seeds.Stillness is a skill for uncertainty, not just storms. "Be still and be quiet" came back to Jackie in her first corporate job in Memphis, when the storm was an internal one created by everything new. Quieting that noise let her focus, contribute, and speak up instead of playing small.Figuring things out can be learned early. As the oldest of three, with her mom working nights, Jackie helped run the household and did her homework without help. That built the learning agility and resilience she later used at Volkswagen to build and launch an entire internship program she'd never done before.Ask whether it's the fire or the fireplace. When Jackie heard she was too direct or too intense, she did the self-awareness work on where to turn the knob down. She also learned to ask whether a room was built to hold her strengths, and whether she belonged in it.Later in a career, the question changes. In her 50s, Jackie asks less about what she wants to accomplish and more about where she wants to make an impact, who she surrounds herself with, and which fires deserve her energy. Connect with Jackie Lowery, Convergence StrategiesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-lowery-8381b857/Website: Convergence Strategies (coming soon) Connect with Bernie BorgesWebsite: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernieborges/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernieborges/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bernieborgesResourcesRegister for the Free webinar: Self-Aware Sellerhttps://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/services/self-aware-seller/ Download The Human Dividend White Paper: A Leader's Guide to Human-Led AI Transformationhttps://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/services/human-led-ai-transformation/ Subscribe to the Weekly Fulfill newsletterWatch this episode (and all episodes) on YouTubeBook Bernie Borges as a speaker at your next eventMusicOld BossaTwin MusicomSuno Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You think you came across one way, your client experienced you another way, and the deal goes quiet. In a virtual room of small business owners, 60% rated themselves very self-aware. Research published in Harvard Business Review says only 10 to 15% of people actually are. In sales, that gap has a price.In part two of this two-part series, Bernie Borges shares the twist he didn’t see coming. After four decades in B2B marketing, the road led him back to where his career began, selling his training services. This time, he’s coming at selling from the human side, with five self-aware selling insights you can use in your very next conversation.Who This Is For•     Solopreneurs, consultants, coaches, and small business owners who wear the sales hat•     Service providers who feel like they’re educating, not selling, and don’t want to be seen as salespeople•     Sellers who know their process cold but still walk out of calls feeling like they struck out•     Leaders who need a yes from their team, their leadership team, their board, or a client•     Anyone who wants their influence to make people stronger, not heavierFive Key Takeaways1.    Check what you’re carrying into the conversation. Your mood, your assumptions, and the story you’re telling yourself show up before you say a word. Take 60 seconds before your next call and ask, “What am I carrying into this conversation?” Noticing it gives you a choice.2.    Audit your talk-to-listen ratio. After your next sales conversation, estimate how much you talked versus how much you listened, and write the number down. You can’t change a pattern you don’t recognize.3.    Pause before you prescribe. When a client finishes describing a problem, say back what you heard and ask, “Did I get that right?” Then connect your solution to their problem using their own words.4.    Recognize the work behind the deal. Clients build internal buy-in and gather information before they ever meet with you. Ten seconds of specific recognition builds trust, and Columbia Business School research found buyers in a high-trust state were roughly half as price sensitive as buyers in a low-trust state.5.    When a client goes quiet, lower their risk. Forrester found that B2B buyers expect most of the rewards of a purchase to flow to their organization, while more of the risk lands on them personally. A silent prospect may be protecting themselves, so skip the “just checking in” email and ask what they’d need to feel confident taking it to their team.Episode ResourcesThe Self-Aware Seller, a free 60-minute live webinar. Friday, November 13 and Friday, December 4, 2026, at 12:00 pm ET on Zoom. Registrants get the Self-Aware Seller white paper right away, and the replay if they can’t attend live. Guest speaker: Matt Fried, corporate trainer at EHS Recruiting.Register for the webinar: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/selfawaresellerBlog post: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/what-my-encore-career-has-taught-me-about-self-awareness/ For sales leaders with teams of five or more full-time sellers: book a call to discuss a version of the webinar tailored to your team.https://calendly.com/fulfilled-at-work/self-aware-seller-leader-exploratory-callPart one: Episode 308, “40 Years In, I Walked Away. Then the Road Started to Wind.”https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/podcast/ep-308-40-years-in-i-walked-away-then-the-road-started-to-wind/Referenced: Episode 300, on whether your influence makes people heavier or stronger.https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/podcast/ep-300-the-leadership-lesson-i-almost-missed/Research referenced in this episode•     Dr. Tasha Eurich, self-awareness research published in Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/podcast/2018/06/how-to-become-more-self-aware•     Simply Business 2025 Solopreneur Report: https://www.simplybusiness.com/solopreneur-report/•     Forrester, B2B Sellers Must Reevaluate How They Build Trust With Buyers: https://www.forrester.com/blogs/b2b-sellers-must-reevaluate-how-they-build-trust-with-buyers•     Columbia Business School research on trust and pricing in B2B relationships https://business.columbia.edu/press-release/cbs-press-releases/new-research-shows-strong-company-culture-builds-trust-customersConnect With Matt Fried, Corporate Trainer, EHS Recruiting https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-fried-373556138/Connect With Bernie Borges•     Website: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/•     LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernieborges/•     Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernieborges/•     TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bernieborgesMusic Attribution•     Old Bossa, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb6VxxLCWEg•     Twin Musicom, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC636YLvNOD6r02q2ePw0XZw•     Suno, https://suno.com/  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever reinvented yourself? Not a tweak, a real reinvention. After four decades in B2B marketing, including almost 20 years running my own agency, I walked away. I was burned out and I wasn’t fulfilled. In this episode, part 1 of 2, I’m sharing the unfiltered story of my encore career chapter: the vote of confidence that told me to go for it, the moment the road started to wind, and the one thread that’s connected every turn since. That thread is self-awareness, and it matters whether you’re reinventing your career or simply trying to lead the people around you a little better.Who This Is ForProfessionals who’ve been good at something for a long time but feel it no longer feeds themLeaders thinking about a reinvention or an encore career chapterManagers who want to lead themselves, lead others, and lead through change with more intentionAnyone navigating change at work or at home, including AI that nobody asked forAnyone who suspects they’re less self-aware than they thinkFive Key TakeawaysReinvention rarely follows a straight line. Bernie walked away from four decades in B2B marketing, launched Fulfilled@Work Academy in 2025, and then watched the road wind as audiences asked him to apply his Fulfillment-Centric Leadership program to AI adoption, personal growth, and selling.Most of us overestimate our self-awareness. Research by organizational psychologist Dr. Tasha Eurich found that 95% of people believe they’re self-aware, while the real number is closer to 10 to 15%.Self-awareness is neurological, and it’s a muscle. Neuroplasticity means the thoughts you repeat become the roads your brain defaults to. You’re never neutral when you walk into a room, but you can build better pathways deliberately, the same way you build a habit.Leading others starts with noticing the unseen work. Most of us save recognition for big wins. A few seconds of specific, timely recognition for the prep, the follow-up, and the quiet advocacy behind those wins tells people you’ve seen them.Change gets worse in silence. Watch for the three silence traps: staying quiet because speaking up feels like it’ll make things worse, avoiding the conversation until you have all the answers, and assuming it’ll pass on its own.Resources MentionedFree 90-Day Self Leadership Blueprint: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/self-leadership-blueprint/Episode 240: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/podcast/life-fulfilled-the-new-era/Episode 287: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/podcast/ep-287-the-ai-trust-audit-5-questions-every-leader-must-ask/Episode 288: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/podcast/ep-288-how-leaders-can-redesign-work-for-ai-the-human-dividend/Episode 300: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/podcast/ep-300-the-leadership-lesson-i-almost-missed/ Inspired Leadership Initiative, University of Notre Dame: https://ili.nd.edu/ Connect With Bernie BorgesWebsite: https://fulfilledatworkacademy.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernieborges/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernieborges/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bernieborgesMusic AttributionOld Bossa, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb6VxxLCWEgTwin Musicom, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC636YLvNOD6r02q2ePw0XZwSuno, https://suno.com/  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.